Time Magazine's Man Of The Year!

I think we can all agree that there's never been a finer film about arm wrestling than Sylvester Stallone's seminal "Over The Top." And it finishes second behind "Smokey and the Bandit" on my list of the best trucker movies ever made. Not exactly a lightweight, in other words. So it pleases me to see that the Brooklyn Cyclones are going to honor the movie and its star this Saturday.

The team will show a variety of Stallone-themed entertainment throughout the night.

Fans are invited to dress up as their favorite Stallone character, with the winning costume receiving a prize pack.

Anyone named "Sylvester" will be admitted to the ballpark at no charge.

In commemoration of the 20th Anniversary of the 1987 movie Over The Top (in which Stallone plays a struggling trucker competing in a Las Vegas Arm Wrestling Championship, and sporting a New York City Arm Wrestling T-shirt), the New York Arm Wrestling Association (NYAWA) will host over 100 men and women competing that day for the 25th Annual White Castle ‘Kingsboro’ Golden Arm Wrestling titles, featuring a championship match taking place on the dugout during that night's game!

Anyone who participates in the arm wrestling competition will receive a Cyclones ticket to that night's game. For more information on participating, contact Gene Camp at NYAWA@aol.com.

I leave Mr. Camp's contact information because I hope that some readers will be in the running for the Golden Arm Wrestling title. If you are, please let me know so I can be sure to say a novena for your chances.

Major points go to anyone who heads to Keyspan Park in full Judge Dredd regalia. I wear mine every Saturday night anyway so its a happy coincidence that I can actually win something other than the scorn of my friends and family. I am curious what the Stallone-themed entertainment will be. I'm guessing running up flights of stairs, smuggling steroids into Australia and romancing six-foot tall Germans will be part of the festivities while a sing-off with Frank Stallone won't be. My fingers are crossed, though.

Any of you wondering whether or not Carlo Gervasi flipped during the last episode of The Sopranos and what that might mean for Tony's future on the outside should be happy to know that he didn't. The place he went after disappearing, however, has implications that are far more terrifying.

Arthur J. Nascarella, who played Carlo Gervasi in "The Sopranos." Nascarella told the R-J's Carol Cling that "Yonkers Joe" was his fourth project since "The Sopranos" stopped shooting. In one, "The Bronx Is Burning," he plays Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda in the 1977 Dodgers-Yankees World Series.

Be sure to keep your bottles of eyewash close by for the scene that features Nascarella, a big dish of ziti and three hookers.

A list of the top five Arnold Schwarzenegger movies that doesn't include Predator is like a list of top five sexual acts that doesn't include the blowjob. Our list? Predator, T2, Total Recall, Terminator and The Running Man with Conan, True Lies and Commando all worthy choices that fall just a bit short. (The Big Lead)

Tank Johnson is going to have a lot of time to work on his quest to become the NFL Man of the Year. Just wondering how Johnson getting charged with a laundry list of crimes, violating probation he received for those crimes and spending two months in jail is worth a suspension half as long as Pacman Jones. We all know Jones is no angel and worthy of whatever punishment comes his way but Roger Goodell is using some strange criteria. (The Fanhouse)

In these parts, though, the choice came down to two movies which didn't take place in the United States. In one corner we have the prisoner vs. Nazi soccer game in Victory and in the other corner is the Rocky Balboa-Ivan Drago Christmas Day fight in Moscow. Both events have some of the same draws. Rooting for the underdog in hostile surroundings, crowds that turn against evil lackeys into supporters of the little guy and stunning endings that would burn into your memory for the rest of your life. And, obviously, both events feature Sylvester Stallone in major roles, as does another member of my near-miss list Over the Top.

The drawback of Victory is that you'd probably have to be either a Nazi or a Frenchman to be at the game. It's a pretty hefty drawback although it's mitigated by getting to play a role in helping the prisoners escape at the end of the game. Sitting in that Paris stadium and cheering for the Allies in open defiance of their Teutonic overlords would be pretty great as well. "Victoire, victoire, victoire," indeed. Suspending disbelief long enough to believe that Michael Caine is one of Europe's finest footballers would be like a non-narcotic acid trip for the ages. Finally, Pele shrugging off injury to nail that bicycle kick would have to rank against The Dunk among singular moments of athletic brillance witnessed with these two eyes. It would probably even rank a bit higher as Starks wasn't in a POW camp 24 hours before the matchup with the Bulls.

But in the end the vote goes to Rocky's unexpected triumph over Drago. The announcers are American so you have to imagine that being a party apparatchnick isn't a must for attendance at the bout. It would be pretty incredible to sit down close during those first few rounds when Drago is just unloading on Rocky. The blood and sweat spraying from Rocky's body, the sound of each punch connecting with bone and the sheer thrill of a championship fight would outweigh, for a while anyway, the fact that the guy you want to win is getting his ass kicked. And then when Rocky comes back, it must have been that way in 1985 when Villanova chopped down Georgetown or when Buster Douglas knocked out Tyson, you can smell the upset in the air. Once the fans start cheering for him, I don't know how you'd keep your eyes dry in such a situation. And the waterworks would certainly open up when Balboa takes the mike after the match and addresses the once-hostile crowd with his message of love.

Not a dry eye in the house. Even without being able to see the training sequence, Rocky IV is the king of the fictional sporting events.

Jim Lampley spoke with Michael Hiestand of USA Today about his role in the Will Ferrell figure skating movie Blades Of Glory.

"It was really a kick," says Lampley, contrasting Blades with his "playing it straight" calling geriatric boxing in the recent Rocky Balboa. "It was the first time I was invited to be funny. They encourage high jinks to run free."

Unlike, say, the police who responded to Lampley's high jinks in January by arresting him for violating a restraining order. Lampley wasn't supposed to go around his girlfriend Candice Sanders after smacking her around on New Year's Eve and injuring her head, neck and back.

Lampley raved about his time working on the film, saying that the filmmakers encouraged improvisation and was happy that they kept some of his ad-libs in the final cut.

The best improv, he says, came from U.S. skating star Sasha Cohen — who came up with her character sniffing an athletic supporter. Says Lampley: "I said, 'Go Sasha!' My opinion of her went way up."

"I was going to kick her in the kidneys and then flush her head down the toilet," added Lampley, who was drunk and high on marijuana at the time of the interview. "But after I saw that little bitch sniffing a jock strap I knew that I'd misjudged her and I might actually try to bang her instead of beating the snot out of her delicate little head."

Ultimately, Lampley felt right at home in the world of skating.

And skating, Lampley says, isn't that different from sportscasting: "They're both rife with irrational jealousy and personality flaws."

He didn't say whether skaters suffered the kinds of irrational jealousy that cause you to throw a woman up against a wall in a violent attack. Lampley also opted not to discuss if skaters had the kinds of personality flaws that cause you to call said woman a liar before pleading no contest to violating the restraining order. Lampley is serving three years probation and has to complete domestic violence prevention classes and 40 hours of community service.

Tonight I'll be at my Mother's for a Passover Seder so it's only natural that I spend the day wondering just what Pooh Richardson is up to these days. Okay, so not at all natural and slightly disturbing given that there's also Opening Day, the NCAA finals and a new episode of 24 to occupy my wonderings until it's time to celebrate the way we stuck it to the Pharoah and his Ra-worshipping cronies. But I did read something about what the former UCLA, T-Wolve, Pacer and Clipper point guard is up to these days.

Among spectators at the Timberwolves-Heat game Friday night at Target Center was Pooh Richardson, the Wolves organization's first draft pick in 1989. Richardson, 40, will play a major part in Will Ferrell's new comedy movie "Semi-Pro," to be released next year.

"We've been filming for three months now; I'm a player for the Spurs team, and it's about the ABA merging with the NBA," Richardson said. "It's a really funny movie."

What's with Will Ferrell and the spate of sports-related movies? And if you're going to make a movie about the ABA shouldn't it be based on the Terry Pluto book "Loose Balls" which is also a pretty decent title for a movie starring Will Ferrell? Anyway, Pooh isn't listed on the IMDB page for the movie, which is odd for someone with a major role. Woody Harrelson is in the cast, which could mean that Billy Ho is finally getting his chance for redemption, as are Ferrell regulars Andy Richter, David Koechner and Will Arnett. Patti LaBelle is credited as playing Ferrell's character's mother and Kelly Leak is in the cast as well so whatever Pooh's role actually is it certainly includes a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to basketball scenes.

Mark Cuban recently announced that he had toyed with the idea of selling the Dallas Mavericks after they lost in the Finals last season. He said he felt like a target for David Stern's wrath and was tired of continually paying fines levied by the commissioner. He also perceived an unfair standard of referring against his team but in the end he felt that he owed it to Dirk Nowitzki and the rest of the players to stay on board.

If a report in Page Six today is true he may hope that he had sold the team since it doesn't figure to go over that well in Texas. Helpfully headlined "H'Wood's 9/11 Idiot Brigade" the item deals with the independently financed documentary "Loose Change," which alleges a government orchestration of the World Trade Center collapse. The internet phenomenon will be repackaged with narration by Charlie Sheen.

Sources say Sheen - whose father, Martin Sheen, has been arrested 63 times protesting on behalf of various leftist causes - is in talks with Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban's Magnolia Pictures to distribute "Loose Change." Sheen has called for a new independent probe of the attack, telling Alex Jones' radio show: "It seems to me like 19 amateurs with box cutters taking over four commercial airliners and hitting 75 percent of their targets, that feels like a conspiracy theory. It raises a lot of questions."

Sheen's rep confirmed his participation. Cuban e-mailed us: "We are having discussions about distributing the existing video with Charlie's involvement as a narrator, not in making a new feature. We are also looking for productions with an opposing viewpoint. We like controversial subjects, but we are agnostic to which side the controversy comes from."

One thing is for certain, if Cuban does get involved you won't be able to find the film on YouTube for much longer. It's a bit harder to see what impact Charlie Sheen's involvement might have on the film's acceptance on a broader scale. It's likely to lose the Denise Richards segment of the population but should gain cheerleader-clad hookers and child porn enthusiasts. Those are sizable chunks of the population, to be sure, but hardly the type that will make for top-notch congressional witnesses.

There's really few things as enjoyable while sitting and waiting for a delivery than Mike Francesa, Mad Dog-less, discussing things having nothing to do with sports. He's deep into a riff about award shows right now, having moved past the Grammys and onto the Oscars.

The most fascinating factoid he's shared thus far is that the Mad Dog, while in college at Rollins, used to babysit for the two Dixie Chicks that are sisters. That's not how he described them - he went with the two tall, thin Dixie Chicks not the short one that's fat. Classy coming from a man of Francesa's girth. If you can identify it, why can't you do anything about it. Their father was a professor at Rollins, it seems, and for one reason or another trusted his kids with that freak.

"I mean Dog's a level-headed guy, but you know he might be watching the sports and let them ruin the house."

Not really what my biggest concern would be if I left my kids at home alone with Chris Russo. Diction lessons would be and I don't mean that in a dirty way at all.

I could really do a transcript of everything, he's that on today but some more choice cuts from the last 15 minutes.

"I'll tell you one thing, though, when you start Red Hot Chili Peppering me, I'm gone. That's an ugly group, I'm telling you right now, that's not a pretty group of guys those Chili Peppers."

Again, if you can identify it...

"I am a music fan, I'm no music expert, I'm no rock historian...If we are going to have a tribute to James Brown, our best choice is Christina Aguilera?"

He's actually right on the money here, although he acts like Brown existed before there was television..."James Brown was big time. Biiiiiig Time!!" The producer wearing a "Khannnnnnnnn!" t-shirt and a nasty ponytail just nods along as he runs through questions about why Dylan and the Eagles weren't on the show. He's just getting started, though.

"Carrie Underwood. All I know about her is she ruined Tony Romo's year. That was the award she got last night, right? Ruining the Cowboys season, Carrie Underwood? Romo's whole year went downhill (big hand gesture here) as soon as she started appearing on the field every week. That was the award last night, wasn't it? Ruining a football season, the winner Carrie Underwood."

He repeated the hand gesture after that, with sound effect of a plane going down. He watched the show before taping "Miked Up" his WNBC Sunday night extravagganza. Something he also does on Oscar night because he doesn't do the show and watches the awards. So, any opinions on the Oscars, Mikey?

"Scorsese's gonna win for The Departed. The Departed's good, it coulda been great, but it's good. Now, I'm not telling Scorsese how to make films."

Please do, Mikey. Please tell all of us how to make movies. He won't go into detail but has a problem with the end of the movie and it's "a little long in spots, but aren't they all." I actually think he's right on the money, here, loving DiCaprio, Baldwin, Marky Mark, etc. I loved the film as well and also wouldn't tell Scorsese how to make films. A few more gems,

"I have never seen a horror movie and I've never seen a spaceship movie in my life."

"I'm a romantic (sucks hard on his cough drop)...E.T.'s not a spaceship movie, it's beautiful. It's a love story."

"He's a weird dude, that Kubrick guy."

He's a treasure. I wasn't watching earlier in the show, thankfully Gerard at Can't Stop The Bleeding was tuned in and caught this remarkable live commercial.

"Valentine’s day is coming….don’t screw it up.”

(long pause)

“Call Vermont Teddy Bear.”

(longer pause)

“I’ve got a cough drop in my mouth.”

(another 7 or 8 seconds of dead air)

“Vermont Teddy Bear…we’ve been working with them a long time. You can dress ‘em as risque as you want. Send it to her place of work.”

“Back to this Bernie Williams thing…”

There's a really lucky lady out there with a saucily dressed Vermont Teddy Bear headed in her direction as I type. Someday my prince will come...

Martin Lawrence is a really good sport. He went all the way to Atlanta to take in a Hawks-Lakers game and do a little publicity for his new movie Wild Hogs. He gets saddled with a terrible sideline announcer with a fetish for the phrase "star studded event" and absolutely no idea what movie it is that Martin is promoting. He's such a good sport, in fact, that he even throws in a plug for the Eddie Murphy movie she asks him about, after he's already said the name of the movie he's promoted and she's ignored him. Or maybe it's not just white people who can't tell one black guy from another?

Incidentally both Norbit, the Murphy movie, and Wild Hogs look terrible. You can only go to the "Eddie dresses up like a fat woman" well so many times and Nutty Professor 2 was the straw that broke that camel's back. This is pissing on the camel's corpse. And the only good thing about Martin's picture is that it means Tim Allen and John Travolta will be stinking up the same movie screen which presumably keeps the other theatres free of each man's tiresome antics. I never thought I'd long for the days Life was making movie audiences sick.

Thanks to Awful Announcing for the video and congratulations on the new Tivo! Remember it's safe for star studded events so sit back, relax and enjoy the show.